How to bet on Boxing

Skill Level: Intermediate

Boxing Guide

Boxing has fast become one of the biggest and most popular sports in the world, thus also making it one of the most popular markets to gamble on. All betting companies offer odds on boxing and, particularly around the time of a high-profile fight, a lot of money will be put on the outcome of a fight.

The following guide will explain what different markets there are available to bet on in boxing and what they really mean.

How boxing is won

The basic rules of how to win at boxing are not too complicated for a novice to understand, with there being three different methods of a fighter winning.

The obvious method is by knockout (KO), or technical knockout (TKO) where one fighter stops their opponent either by knocking them to the floor where they cannot answer the referee’s ten counts, or they have sustained enough damage to cause the referee to stop the fight altogether for their safety. TKO can also take place if one fighter’s corner throws in the towel. Fighters can also win via disqualification if their opponent frequently breaks the rules. If a fight is not decided within the twelve rounds, then the decision of the fight goes down to a decision with the judges. Three judges score rounds throughout the fight - generally giving 10 points to the winner of the round and 9 points to the other - and must hand in their scores at the end, with the winner being the fighter who has scored best with the judges. This can either be by split or unanimous decision, with the former occurring if two judges have awarded one fighter the result and latter if all three judges award the same fighter the win.

Boxing markets explained

Here we will explain how Boxing betting markets work, along with how to place your bets and profit from them.

What markets can I bet on?

In boxing, there aren’t a vast selection of markets as there are in other sports such as football and cricket. That said, there are still a number of ways for you to win when it comes to betting on boxing, of which we will explain below.

Match betting

The most simple form of betting in the boxing market, punters must select who they believe will win the fight. When using match betting, the method of the victory is irrelevant, meaning the backing punter wins if the fight goes the distance or if their chosen fighter can win by KO, TKO or DQ.

Round betting

A very popular market in boxing, to win, punters must select which round of the fight their chosen fighter will win in. In essence, they are backing a KO, TKO or DQ to occur within that round. Given that there are 12 rounds in most high-profile, professional fights, the odds are usually high for exact round predictions.

Group round betting

Probably the market with the most value in boxing, punters have more flexibility to win in group round betting than single round betting. Here, you are able to back the fight to finish in rounds 1-3, 4-6, 7-9 and 10-12, meaning the odds are lower than round betting but your chances of winning are significantly better.

Alternative group round betting

Yet another method of round betting, the alternative group round market offers the widest selection of rounds to choose from with the lowest odds. The lines are usually rounds 1-6 and 7-12, meaning you are actually betting on whether you think the fight will end in the first half or the second half.

Method of victory

Here, you must bet on how you feel your chosen fighter will win the fight. You are able to select a fighter to win by KO/TKO or on points/decision within this market, whilst you can also back a draw.

Will the fight go the distance

To win this selection, you must correctly predict whether or not the fight lasts the full 12 rounds or will be stopped early. If you back the fight to go the distance, and there is a TKO in the 7th round, the bet is a losing stake.

Winning method

Similar to the method of victory market, here you do not have to nail your colours by selecting which fighter will win. The result is irrelevant in this market, with the only objective being to select whether the fight will be won by decision and go 12 rounds, or whether it will be stopped early via KO, TKO or DQ.